Message to our community: Co-creating access, hope and new possibilities for our clients and families

While the world grappled with COVID-19, The Royal began a metamorphosis. Propelled by fast-paced changes to care delivery across the country and empowered by the support and partnership of our community, we tackled our most ambitious strategy yet focused on redefining what client-centred mental health care looks like. As we look to the future, we see new possibilities to increase access and inspire hope for our clients, their loved ones, our colleagues and the communities we serve. 

The pandemic left a resounding mark on the mental health of our country. The need continues to outpace supply, challenging us to look differently at how we plan for and deliver care. In some capacities, that means further exploration around the convergence of technology and service delivery and in others, it is a deeper understanding of what is valuable and meaningful to clients and their loved ones. Through powerful conversations with individuals across our community, we are breaking down preconceived notions around what it means to “get into The Royal” and transforming our organization to address access, inspire new research, advocate for systemic equity and deliver in the areas where it counts most. At its heart, this is what our strategy, Co-creating Access, Hope and New Possibilities, exists to accomplish. To challenge what has always been and position The Royal for the future. 

Specifically, our strategy guided our organization through a process of re-examining the client experience at The Royal. This exploration, grounded in the process of co-design, resulted in the development of the client-centred, team-based care model, which puts the client at the centre of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary care team. This care model intends to meet the evolving needs and expectations of clients and their loved ones in both mental health care and research. It also helps us meet the promise of serving as a hospital without walls and one that can be nimble and responsive while maintaining and advancing specialty mental health care.  

As we look ahead to 2022, we move into the exciting phase of implementation starting with areas where we have momentum. We will continue the process of engagement and co-design to ensure that our transformation is inclusive of the expertise available to us through our community. No organization will be the same as it was before COVID-19, because the world is irrevocably different. The Royal, and our partners in the mental health and addictions space, will be called to support an ever-growing demand for services. This year has taught us that we are well positioned to take on the challenges of the future. We have the right plan and the right people. Together, we will rise to the occasion, just as we did so many times this year, remaining a beacon of light that inspires hope and the possibility of brighter tomorrows.

—  Joanne Bezzubetz, PhD, president and chief executive officer, The Royal 

LEARN MORE HERE: bit.ly/AccessNewPossibilities